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| - A court in Belarus on Tuesday handed jail terms to a doctor and a journalist accused of leaking the medical records of a protester who died during historic anti-government protests last year. The guilty verdicts are part of a recent wave of punitive legal cases in the ex-Soviet country brought against media workers and rights defenders that have been condemned by Western countries and international advocacy groups. In a trial held behind closed doors, journalist Katerina Borisevich, 36, and doctor Artyom Sorokin, 37, were found guilty of "disclosing medical records, with grave consequences". Investigators said the two divulged the medical records of a former soldier who died from head injuries after being arrested by police during protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. The investigators said 31-year-old Roman Bondarenko showed signs of intoxication during his arrest, but Borisevich, a journalist for the independent Tut.by news website, published a story saying no alcohol was found in his body. She cited medical documents that were shared by Sorokin with the permission of Bondarenko's mother. Borisevich was sentenced to six months in jail. Sorokin was released, but will have to serve two years in prison if he is found to have committed any crimes within a one-year period. Borisevich was also fined around $1,100, while Sorokin was fined $500. Dozens of supporters and journalists gathered outside the court but only family and state media outlets were allowed to hear the verdict. Belarusian prosecutors in February launched a criminal case into Bondarenko's death but they are yet to detain any suspects and they have cleared law enforcement of involvement. Mass protests gripped Belarus for several months following an August presidential election that saw 66-year-old Lukashenko claim a sixth term in power. His opponents say the polls were rigged and that political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran in place of her jailed husband, was the true winner. Tikhanovskaya fled to neighbouring Lithuania, an EU member, shortly after the polls. The Belarusian Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, on Tuesday placed Tikhanovskaya on a wanted list for "preparing mass unrest". It published a video which it claimed showed Tikhanovskaya and associates planning to take over government buildings in Belarus's second city Gomel. Tikhanovskaya's press secretary said the opposition figure "never participated in developing such plans" and "supported only peaceful measures" of protest. She has met with leaders and foreign ministers of many Western countries which have refused to recognise results of the August vote. The European Union has slapped sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies, but the long-standing Belarus leader maintains the strong support of Moscow and has refused to step down. tk-acl/dl
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